Evander Kane parts ways with KHL's Dinamo Minsk

Winnipeg Jets left wing Evander Kane celebrates a goal by teammate Alexander Burmistrov during the third period of their NHL hockey game against the Minnesota Wild in St. Paul, Minnesota February 16, 2012. Winnipeg won 4-3 in a shoot-out. Kane scored three goals including the game-winner in the shoot-out. (Reuters/ERIC MILLER)

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QMI Agency

WINNIPEG - Evander Kane’s season in the KHL has come to an inauspicious end.

The Winnipeg Jets winger, the first Canadian player to sign in the Russian league during the NHL lockout, has parted ways with his club, Dinamo Minsk.

Kane did little in 12 games with the team, recording just one point (a goal) and posting a minus-eight rating.

He was also suspended one game for an illegal hit, and criticized for being out of shape by the team’s head coach.

"Unfortunately, Evander Kane could not adapt to hockey in the KHL," athletic director Igor Matushkin said on the team's website.

Both the team and Kane’s agent said the decision to cut ties was mutual.

A 30-goal scorer with the Jets last season, Kane was expected to return home to Vancouver, where he could console himself with the six-year, $31.5-million contract he signed with Winnipeg just hours before the lockout began.

Of course, he won’t be collecting on that until the labour dispute ends.

Kane is the third Jets player to leave Europe recently, after goalie Ondrej Pavelec parted ways with his team in the Czech Republic and defenceman Toby Enstrom with one in Austria.

Kane’s former Jets teammate and his teammate with Minsk, Tim Stapleton, has had little trouble adapting to the KHL, scoring 11 goals, as many as he had with the Jets all last season, and adding eight assists.